A catastrophic plane crash at Muan airport

A plane from Bangkok, Thailand skidded off a runway in an attempt to land at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, ending up crashing into a wall standing at the end of the aviation facilities at 9 a.m. on Sunday. At least 127 people were confirmed to be dead, with two cabin crew rescued as of 4 p.m. on that day, making it the country’s most tragic aircraft accident since a flight crash into Mount Dotdae near Gimhae Airport claimed 129 lives in 2002. The whole nation has been driven into deep grief and sorrow.

With six flight attendants and 175 passengers on board, the pilot called a Mayday - a distress signal used on a plane – around a minute after the air traffic command warned about a possible bird strike, said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Although the flight changed its directions to attempt a safe landing, it got into a landing gear failure to make a belly landing, veering off the tarmac and colliding with a fence wall at the airport. Following a thunderous explosion, the passenger plane burned to ashes, leaving only a 15-meter tail section intact. The fire service in South Jeolla Province reported that the majority of passengers were killed after being thrown out of the plane as a result of the impact of the crash. Only two flight attendants have been brought out of the wreckage alive.

The aircraft is a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 (B738). The accident is presumed to have resulted from a bird strike that presumably led to a landing gear wreck based on control tower communication logs, eyewitness reports from residents nearby, and a passenger's message about "a bird stuck in the wing.” However, it may be too early to exclude other possible scenarios, such as a mechanical defect or poor maintenance. After all, reports say that the flight in question suffered an engine shutdown right after landing two days ago and had a malfunctioned emergency system against landing gear errors. It is imperative to launch a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident to prevent future incidents.

A temporary morgue established at Muan International Airport has been filled with the cries of despair from bereaved families. Among the victims are a couple on their first overseas trip with a three-year-old son, six sisters celebrating Christmas holidays in Thailand, and retired civil servants on a tour. Other nationals than Koreans were put on the list of the victims, including two Thai passengers. The heartbreak of those families is indescribably saddening in that they must have been excited about a happy family reunion, only having to lose their beloved ones forever.

In the meanwhile, the whole nation is also struck by deeply felt grief and mounting anxiety. The horribly fatal accident occurred at a critical time when Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok serves as acting prime minister with ongoing impeachment proceedings suspending not only President Yoon Suk Yeol but also Prime Minister Han Duck-soo from duty. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters was set up immediately after the accident with Vice Prime Minister Choi at the helm. However, the leadership position of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which is in charge of disaster response, is currently vacant while even the National Police Agency is led by an acting chief. Faced with a paralyzed administration amid escalating political chaos, concerns are only growing about whether disaster management leadership functions effectively.

Citizens still remember the heartbreaking Itaewon tragedy from 2022. Yet another large-scale disaster occurred even before they could heal from the scars that worsened due to the government’s mishandling of the accident. In the face of such a national crisis, the ruling and opposition parties are supposed to join forces to handle the consequences of the accident without administrative gaps for public safety.